The number of fresh COVID-19 cases being reported on a single day touched a new high on Sunday, with 4,979 persons testing positive. Among them were 77 who had returned to the State from abroad or from other States.
The total number of active cases as on date is 50,294 (including those under isolation), and the total number of positive cases is 1,70,693*.
With 4,059 patients being discharged on a single day, the number of those discharged following treatment so far stands at 1,17,915.
Health Department officials said 78 persons had died in government and private health facilities as on Sunday, taking the toll to 2,481.
Chennai’s count
Chennai accounted for a fourth of the fresh cases, at 1,254. The total number of cases in the city now stands at 85,859. While 1,189 persons were discharged on Sunday, 15,042 were still under treatment. The city also accounted for 27 of the 78 deaths.
Maximum cases
The bulletin from the Directorate of Public Health said the neighbouring districts of Tiruvallur - 405 and Chengalpattu - 306 recorded the most number of cases. They were followed by Virudhunagar - 262, Kancheepuram - 220 and Madurai - 206. Tiruvallur registered five deaths, whereas Chengalpattu and Madurai recorded eight deaths each.
Three persons who had no co-morbidities died of the infection. While 23 deaths occurred at private hospitals, the government facilities accounted for 55.
The youngest patient to lose his life to the infection was a 22-year-old youth from Madurai with a chronic kidney disease. He was admitted to a private hospital on July 11 with complaints of fever, cough and difficulty in breathing for four days.
A 32-year-old woman from Thiruvallur, who had breast cancer with brain metastasis, was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital here on July 7. The COVID-19 test sample taken on July 16 returned positive the next day. She died on Saturday.
The oldest person who died of the infection was a 92-year-old man from the city who had a history of hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease and hypothyroidism. The nonagenarian was admitted on July 5 to a private hospital with complaints of fever, cough for two days and difficulty in breathing for a day. He died on Saturday morning owing to a sudden cardiac arrest/bilateral pneumonitis and COVID-19.
Lab approved
The laboratory at the Government Headquarters Hospital at Cheyyar, Tiruvannamalai, has been approved for testing. With this, the total number of facilities working in the State has gone up to 112. Of them, 57 are government facilities and 55 are private laboratories.
(*Two deaths have been cross-notified to other States, while one patient died after turning negative for the infection.)
